


Sunset

by ChampagneSly



Series: Hidden Verse, Hidden Heart (Poetry AU) [7]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-05
Updated: 2012-10-05
Packaged: 2017-11-15 17:08:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/529584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChampagneSly/pseuds/ChampagneSly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shameless indulgence in poetry and sentiment and kissing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sunset

“Tired?” Alfred asked, even though he already knew the answer, carding his fingers through Arthur’s hair and sharing his shoulder when Arthur sat heavily on the sofa and sighed.

“More than tired,” Arthur murmured, eyes closing while he leaned into Alfred’s touch. “You’ve no idea.”

Alfred hummed quietly, and didn’t elaborate on all his many thoughts as to how Arthur had been working way too hard for way too many hours for too many days because the Arthur’s frown and shadowed eyes said he already knew. Arthur’s hand splayed over his chest, fingers tapping in time with the steady beat of his pulse while the living room was splashed in the soft colors of an early winter sunset, English clouds burned pink and yellow by the last of the day. It had been  a little while since they’d been quiet and still together, sharing nothing more than space and time and breath, and Alfred thought it might be nice to hold Arthur like this until the sun was gone and they were tangled shadows in the night.

Alfred covered the hand that covered his heart, looked down at Arthur’s exhausted expression and figured that if he couldn’t help with edits, or tracking down lost manuscripts, or convincing the members of the academy that Arthur was the most brilliant man he’d ever met, he could at least share a bit of the burden.

Arthur’s forehead smoothed when he kissed it and asked, “If I got no idea, how about filling me in, Professor Kirkland?”

“It is difficult to explain.” Arthur sighed, fingers bunching the cotton of Alfred’s ratty old AU hoodie while his eyes opened and his gaze flitted towards the sun that dipped lower and lower on the horizon.

Alfred kissed him again, the tip of his ear warm beneath his lips. “Try me. You can even use big words. I’ll do my best to keep up.”

“Prat,” Arthur muttered fondly, tilting his head to press his mouth to the thrumming veins in Alfred’s throat. Alfred stroked his hair and squeezed their joined hands, willing to wait all evening for Arthur to figure out how to say what was on his pretty, tired, little mind. Arthur sighed again, frustration rumbling from his lips to Alfred’s skin as he spoke, “I suppose sometimes I go so far down the rabbit hole I can’t remember why I started digging in the first place. The whole endeavor loses its luster somewhere in between this obscure citation or that alternative translation.”

Alfred considered, thought of how his head ached some days with so many data points, so many experiments gone wrong, so many failed hypothesis that he was ready to scrap the damned project. He thought about what it took to get out of that hole, to climb back towards the light and remember all the reasons he loved what he loved, why he struggled and studied and strove. He thought about the cabinet full of robots and toy airplanes and matchbox cars he still put together whenever he’d had enough of etching and circuitry and equations.

“Sometime the nitty-gritty makes it hard to remember the big picture,” Alfred offered, dragging his fingers out of Arthur’s hair to smooth the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.

“You aren’t wrong.” Arthur curled in closer, still staring out the window at the disappearing day.

“First time for everything, eh, Artie?” Alfred teased gently, needing to see the slow curve of Arthur’s smile. He kissed the smile he won, taking it as a prize to be savored, sliding lips over lips and catching Arthur’s murmur in his mouth, twining it around his tongue and returning it with a long, soft sigh.

He thought of how Arthur’s mouth parted around the words of a poem, how his voice rippled with pleasure like those words tasted good, like the rhythm and meter fed something in his soul. He kissed him awhile longer because he was selfish enough to want all the other things Arthur could do with lips and tongue.  It was nice to press Arthur down the couch and take his time to do nothing more than kiss until his chest ached and Arthur was stroking his hands down his back, kissing and kissing him in return.

“Hey,” Alfred whispered once the room had grown dark, the sun having finally abandoned the day, leaving them breathless and near, tangled on the couch. He still so close to Arthur’s face he could feel the fan of his eyelashes against his cheek, “Tell me something good, something sweet, something real pretty.”

Arthur blinked at him, lips still wet from Alfred’s mouth quirked in a wry smile. “Are you asking me to recite poetry for you?”

“Yup.” Alfred twined his hands in Arthur’s hair and settled between the warm, easy spread of his thighs. He kissed Arthur’s disbelief. “I miss it.”

“As do I.” Arthur cupped his face, brushed this thumb over Alfred’s mouth and gave him such a look of fondness it damned near broke his heart.

“Well, then, what are you waiting for?” Alfred murmured.

“Any particular requests?”

“One that makes you happy. Something you love.”

“If you insist, then dearest, this is for you.” Arthur closed his eyes, blushing so impossibly Alfred felt heat stain his own cheeks as he laid his head on Arthur’s chest and listened.

_“And the sunlight clasps the earth,_   
_And the moonbeams kiss the sea;—_   
_What are all these kissings worth,_   
_If thou kiss not me?”*_

_~~_

_* From Love’s Philosophy by P. Shelley  
_


End file.
